Adam Niedzielski made the announcement in an interview with Polish state news agency PAP on Tuesday.
Asked about Poland’s COVID-19 situation, the health minister said it was in line with government forecasts.
“We predicted that there wouldn’t be a big build-up of infections in the autumn and the performance of Poland’s health care system definitely won’t be under any threat,” Niedzielski said.
He added: “We expected there would be few hospitalisations and the course of COVID-19 would be milder.”
COVID-19 hospitalisations fall below 1,000
Niedzielski stated that “the number of COVID-19 hospitalisations has already fallen below 1,000 and the average weekly number of cases is 2,500.”
“The scale of infections doesn’t pose a threat to the healthcare system,” he declared.
At the same time, the latest figures for the flu and other upper respiratory tract infections "are more worrying,” Niedzielski said, with 100,000 confirmed or suspected flu cases recorded in the first week of November alone, translating into over 400 hospitalisations.
Infections 'may accelerate' at end of year
“According to our forecasts, the COVID-19 epidemic may potentially accelerate in Poland at the end of the year," Niedzielski told the PAP news agency.
"However, one shouldn’t expect a highly dynamic acceleration," he added.
Mask wearing in healthcare facilities extended until March
Asked if mask wearing would still be compulsory in hospitals, clinics and pharmacies beyond the new year, the health minister said that “masks aren’t just relevant in the context of COVID-19.”
He added: “COVID-19 cases are few, but the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are taking their toll. In this context, keeping masks compulsory makes sense, especially in healthcare facilities where ill people interact, including clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.”
Niedzielski was also quoted as saying in the interview that “mask wearing will certainly continue to be mandatory until at least the end of 2023."
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gazetaprawna.pl